Lamplight and Crimson Dawn

“Come ooooonnnnn, Lamplight. We’ve been cooped up here for way too long!” A small pegasus-bat pony whines, his red and yellow striped hair jiggles as he bounces up and down. His Applejack Rangers initiate robes and cutie mark crusader cloak flutter as he does.

“Fine, Crimson, we’ll go out for a little bit, but you need to stay close to me.” Lamplight, a purple alicorn with a two tone blue mane, also dressed in initiate robes. He ruffles the smaller foal’s mane a bit as he looks toward the door out of the base.

“Yay!” Crimson says as he jumps up and wraps his hooves around the older foal’s neck giving him a hug. “You’re the best Lamplight.”

“You always say that,” Lamplight replies as he lifts the little hybrid off of him. “Now, I really mean it when I say stay close to me. Your parents sent you to us, and it’s my job to help look after you.”

“I know, I’ll be careful. Plus you’re the son of Star Armor, you’re probably just as awesome as he is!” Crimson says as he struggles with the door out of the base.

“Yeah…” Lamplight says as he uses his magic to open the door, sending Crimson tumbling through it, though the little hybrid recovers by rolling back onto his hooves instantly.

“Alright! Let’s go!” Crimson cheers as he charges out, forcing Lamplight to chase after him.

The pair of them wander the area around the Applejack Ranger’s base, Crimson leads the way with his boundless enthusiasm while Lamplight searches the area around them just in case of trouble. As they walk the familiar sounds of gunshots and screams of pain reach them, and before Lamplight can say anything, Crimson is off like a bullet diving through the shadows as he travels.

The young alicorn flies after him, doing his best to keep pace with the little hybrid. The pair zip through the newly growing forest. After just a few seconds the pair of them come to a stop in a clearing with about a dozen raiders, as well as a pair of scribes bleeding from various wounds. Crimson leaps into Lamplight’s shadow and pops up from one of the raider’s shadow’s, his hoof slamming into the head of one of the raider’s sending them flying.

The pair of scribes struggle to their hooves, charging as best they can towards the treeline before diving behind a nearby fallen tree. Gunshots pelt the wood of the tree they dove behind, as the raiders start to attack. Crimson dives through another shadow coming up in a different one to buck a raider making them drop their weapon as the attack connects. As bullets fly, three graze Crimson’s side, sending him rolling to the ground with a whimper.

Lamplight shoots out from the trees tossing up a shield to block more bullets aimed at Crimson, his hor sparks with magic as he struggles to maintain the shield under the assault of the raiders. The gunfire is joined by the zap sounds of magical energy weapons as the scribes popup from the tree they’re hiding behind to provide some additional fire on the raiders as Lamplight fires a couple of magical projectiles from his horn into the group of raiders. Though a couple have gone down, most of them are still up and firing back wildly.

A couple of lucky shots take the scribes out of the fight, and their fire is focused on Lamplight as he puts all of his magic into his shield. Despite reinforcing it just like his dad taught him, cracks start to form in it as the bullets continue to get embedded in it. Looking down to Crimson, the fear in his eyes is plain as day. The fear in his friend’s eyes steels his resolve, his horn glows ten times brighter than before as he gathers as much of his magic as he can for one final attack.

With a scream of anger and determination he unleashes the magic in a single, all powerful burst. His shield explodes as his magical aura forms a ring that expands faster than the speed of sound. Everything for nearly a quarter mile is cut in half, the raiders, trees, rocks, even the small lookout tower that the Ranger’s use on occasion. When the magic clears the scribes struggle to peek out from their cover looking at the massive devastation.

Crimson looks up at Lamplight and gasps, the alicorn above him stands there staring out at the destruction with a grim face. What’s left of his horn sparks softly as the last of the magic from the attack fades. Hearing the gasp, he looks down at Crimson and smiles. “I’m glad you’re safe, I wasn’t sure that we could win.”

Crimson leaps up to his neck and holds him as he cries. “I’m so sorry, Lamplight, I should have waited. This is all my fault!”

“There, there, Crimson. I forgive you, had you hesitated, the scribes would have died.” Lamplight says as he starts over to them. “Let’s treat them and head back, okay?”

Crimson nods, letting go of Lamplight’s neck and walking with him. The pair of them patch up the scribes and begin the process of slowly limping back to base. Before they’re even halfway there several knights come charging up as well as Elder Star Armor. The four of them are rushed back to the infirmary inside the Ranger base, being checked over thoroughly and healed as best they can. After half a day Crimson is finally allowed to go see Lamplight, being deemed healthy enough to move around again.

When Crimson walks into Lamplight’s room he’s very quiet, slowly walking up to his friend’s bed. “Lamplight…”

“Hey Crimson, come on, no need to be shy.” The alicorn says as he taps the bed.

Crimson swallows as he hops up onto the bed. His eyes go wide as he sees the still shattered horn, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. “I… I’m sorry, I fucked up.”

“It’s okay, Crimson. I’m just happy that you’re safe.” Lamplight says, pulling Crimson into a hug. “You’re going to have to get a lot stronger to become a hero like your dad, and I’ll help you get there, okay?”

“O-okay. I’m never going to let you down again, Lamplight.” Crimson says, his eyes shimmering with determination as he looks at Lamplight’s horn.

Lamplight smiles and pulls Crimson in to a hug and ruffles his mane, the two of them staying like that until they both fall asleep.

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